Above the Influence
by vbgal9
Summary: Austin's the bad party boy singer of show buisiness. Maddie's the goody-two-shoes dance prodigy of the dance world. Austin's need to overcome his addiction to underage drinking and smoking forces their two opposite worlds to meet. Through the dysfunction and dramatic changes both of them face, somehow love gets in the way too, but neither of them are complaining.
1. Busted and Meeting the Good Girl

Austin Starr, the newest worldwide famous pop star, was finally sixteen, and his party would be the best party ever; all of his famous friends were coming over, and it would be the best night of Austin's life. Well, so he thought. His parents had left the house for the night, letting Austin have the mansion to himself. At exactly 6pm, people flooded into the house, and the party really got started. Austin was a good boy; he came from a caring household who taught him good morals. While he was completely content with sodas and chips and dip, after maybe thirty minutes, he smelled cigarette smoke and saw drunken people at every turn. A group of his friends grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him to a table. They sat him down, crowding around him. They were all sober and none of them were high, but Austin knew soon enough they would be. He gulped as two of his friends (who were all older) set down a beer bottle and a cigarette and lighter.

"Come on buddy, it's just one drink and one cigarette! No one will ever know!"

Austin hesitated, knowing this wasn't right. "I think I'm just going to grab some coke guys..." He started standing, but got pushed back down.

"You're one of us now. Everyone in Hollywood does this. Come on. Just one sip and one breath in."

Someone had already opened the beer bottle, holding it out to him. He hesitated again, but fought it over, reaching for the bottle. Cheers erupted as he took his first sip. To his surprise, it actually tasted good. He took a few more swigs, and the whole room started to buzz. He stood, raising his glass. "Let's get this party really started!" Cheers grew louder, and the night zoomed by, Austin not remembering any of it after finishing the first bottle of beer, then more after. He had completely gotten drunk, and woke up the next morning in his room with a horrible hangover.

Austin groaned as he got out of bed, the whole room starting to spin for a moment as he got up. He rubbed his eyes, and went to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror. Shit. He was still in last night's clothes, his sandy colored hair was a rough mess, his shirt was stained with alcohol, and he swear the red spot on his neck was a hickey. He shook his head and brushed his teeth, guilt flowing into him. His parents taught him never to drink until he was of age, and even in moderation then. He must've had at least 3 or 4 drinks last night. His breath stunk horribly, and he brushed his then twice before only smelling the mint scent from the toothpaste. His parents weren't home yet, so he quickly threw his clothes in the wash, eliminating the alcohol smell from his shirt. He jumped into the shower, clearing up his head. After putting on a clean t shirt and jeans, he checked his phone, which was flooded with text messages. Thank god no one had posted pictures of him anywhere in social media, otherwise he'd be dead. But his text messages said another thing. Messages included "dude, you had like 5 drinks last night" "awesome party, the girl on you was hot!" "Be glad you didn't smoke too much otherwise you would have a double whammy!" Great. He had smoked too. Austin felt extremely guilty, but it also felt kind of good to let loose last night. Maybe it won't be too bad to go to a few more parties like that.

Over the next year, a few parties escalated into four or five a week, and Austin started constantly smoking and drinking, having his older friends buy a supply for him. In the middle of the night, while his parents were asleep, he'd sit on the ledge outside of his window or he'd drive out to a secret hideout, switching off between a cigarette and a drink, depending on his mood. He drank more than he smoked, making sure that his voice didn't turn raspy. If it did when he recorded his songs, his parents would definitely think he was onto something. He made sure to be careful too, being sly enough to never be caught. Instead of getting drunk or high each time, he only had one or two drinks and only one cigarette once in a while. For the most part, Austin was always sober enough to a point where no one suspected anything. He also took care in washing his clothes, eliminating any scent of smoke or alcohol. Austin started fooling around with girls too, meeting a new one almost every party. While he didn't ever go all the way, he always woke up with new hickeys and lipstick stains on his shirt.

One night, he had gotten too drunk too fast, joining in a game of beer pong. He had been stressed out about his work on his debut album and his friends had invited him out to relax. He didn't remember getting home that night, but he remembered when his parents stormed into his room, waking him up to the worst hangover of all. He fell out of bed, groaning. "What?" He mumbled.

His dad bent over him, smelling Austin's breath. He threw down a tabloid. "You even reek of it."

Austin looked up, eyes half open. "Of what?!"

"Alcohol and smoke!"

Shit. The tabloid caught him. Austin jumped up, room spinning briefly, but he managed to speak. "Dad, I can explain."

"Explain what?! That you've been drinking and smoking ?! I'm pretty sure you're mother and I taught you better!"

Guilt washed over him again. "I'm sorry-"

Austin's mother stopped him this time. "No. So this is what you've been doing for the past year. I'm not stupid Austin, you've never been going to parties this much, ever. You know what; you're taking a break from music. All of this fame has gotten to your head."

Austin's jaw dropped. "No! Music is my life! You can't do this!"

His mother stopped him again, "you should've thought about it before going out a doing drugs. This isn't the first time, right?"

His head dropped. "No."

"How many times have you gone out to do this stuff?" His father crossed his arms.

Austin kept his gaze at his feet. "More times than I can count." His mother sighed. Austin knew it broke her heart. "I'm sorry."

His dad cleared his throat. "Get dressed."

Austin looked at his dad. "Why?

"You're going to Castaway Island." Austin's jaw dropped again. It was his family's private island, but he knew they weren't sending him there for fun. They were sending him there as some form of rehab.

"What?" Austin stared at them in disbelief.

"Just you for a month. A break. Non cigarettes, no drinking. Come back and do it again, you're done with music forever." His father crossed his arms.

Austin sighed and nodded, starting to grab a few things he needed. The house had changes of clothes and toiletries and food. He knew his parents wouldn't check what he packed, so he grabbed a box of cigarettes. They'd last him a month. He refused to stop doing what he did. It felt too good. He remembered there was alcohol at the house, from previous parties hosted by his parents, so he didn't bother packing that. He grabbed a backpack for his iPad, his phone, his watch, his wallet, and the cigarettes, making sure to stuff those at the very bottom. He got into his dads car, and he drove him to the airport, dropping him off by the family private jet. Austin's dad left without a word, and he climbed into the jet, sitting in his favorite seat to prepare for takeoff. Austin stayed on his iPad for the seven hour plane ride to Castaway Island, which was off the coast of Hawaii's main islands. The island was small, consisting of a mile long beach and only one house, which belonged to Austin and his family. There was also a runway, which was for their private jet landing. Austin got off, thanking the pilot. The jet went to refueling, and would leave back to New York's airport within the next hour. He looked around, finding the way to the house. As he was looking around, he heard the droning of another private jet coming to land. It was unusual, and he stood out of the way as it touched down. He crossed the road, going to the landed jet. The stairs came down, and out stepped a girl. A girl he recognized. Her name was Maddie Zhao. She was the most famous teen dance prodigy at 16, but she was also the most famous goody two shoes around.

Austin leaned again the railing, looking up at her. "My parents didn't tell me I had company."

Maddie looked at him, smiling as she stepped off the last stair to face him. "Mine did."

Austin chuckled. "I'm Austin."

Maddie giggled with him. "I know. I'm Maddie."

"I know."

They exchanged another laugh, and Austin walked with her to the house, taking their time.

"So..." Austin broke the silence. "Why are you here with me?"

"To be a good influence on you."

Austin slowed his pace. "That's seriously why you're here?"

Maddie nodded. "Not on my own desire to; my parents sent me here also to take a break from dancing...but I do want to help you."

Austin's heart warmed; a girl who didn't even know him yet wanted to help...but his heart iced at the same time, not wanting help. "I'm perfectly fine," he said, hoping that maybe Maddie didn't really truly know about his smoking and drinking.

Maddie nodded again, a little skeptical, but she seemed to believe his statement after a little longer. "So what, have you just been sneaking out and taking midnight walks? Pulling pranks with friends?"

Austin couldn't believe it; she believed him. He scratched the back of his neck. "Um yeah, basically."

Maddie laughed lightly, but bought his story. "Well then, I can't really help you there. But you have company for the next three weeks at least."

Austin chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, at least I won't be stuck here with myself." Tons of thoughts ran through Austin's head. Maddie lived up to her label of the biggest goody two shoes around; if she thought sneaking out to pull pranks with friends was bad, what were her views on underage drinking and smoking? Austin started to worry a little, thinking that doing what he did might actually be a problem.


	2. Fun and Games, for now

They reached the house, which was a brief 5 minute walk. Austin unlocked the front door, letting Maddie in first. He closed the door behind them, locking it. The first room was the living room and kitchen, and Maddie went to one of the kitchen island barstools to sit and set her backpack down. It was around six o clock now, and Austin was craving dinner. He looked at Maddie as he set his backpack on the couch. "Are you hungry?"

Maddie nodded. "Yeah. What's to eat?"

Austin walked to the fridge, opening it. Maddie came next to him, peering in as well. He didn't see anything really appealing, so he pulled out the freezer drawer, careful not to hit Maddie. There were a few TV dinners, and he looked at Maddie. "I'm too tired to cook, and I'm sure you are too. Want to just heat up these?"

"Sounds good," Maddie said, reaching for the Carbonara flavored one.

Austin pouted, realizing it was the only one in that flavor. "Hey, I wanted that one."

Maddie laughed in his face. "Too bad."

Austin stuck his tongue out at her. "Meanie."

Maddie giggled, and handed the box to him, "here. I can get a different one."

Austin shook his head. "I eat these all the time at home. You have it. The Philly cheese steak is good too." He reached for that box, and took hers as well, putting them in the two microwaves to heat up. As the dinners were heating up, Austin jumped onto the couch, choosing a movie on Netflix. The newest comedy has just come out, and he knew Maddie would like it too. He heard the microwave timer beep, and they sat across the couch to eat. They finished eating, and stayed up late watching movies, until Maddie yawned and decided to go to bed. Austin showed her one of the guest rooms upstairs and where all of the clothing was at, which he was sure her parents had shipped some over. Austin opened the door to the guest room across from his. There was a queen sized bed in a spacious open room, and he showed her which drawers her clothes were in. He pointed out the bathroom, and showed her how to work the controls on the TV remote.

Maddie walked with him back to the door, and leaned against the doorway as Austin stepped out, turning around to face her. She smiled. "Tonight was nice. You're really cool, Austin."

Austin chuckled, leaning against the other side of the doorway. "Yeah, you're really cool too. Cool for a goody two shoes anyway."

Maddie smiled, pushing his shoulder lightly. "Not you too."

Austin smiled. "Oh yes."

Maddie giggled, but frowned a few seconds later. "I'm not boring, am I?"

Austin shook his head. "Not at all." He smiled reassuringly at her.

Maddie grinned. "Thanks." There was a pause, and the two of them stared at each other briefly. "Night."

"Night." Maddie shut the door, but Austin didn't leave right away. He stared at the closed door, where Maddie had been just a few seconds ago. He'd known her for only a few hours, but he could already tell this girl was amazing. She had a special spark about her. He smiled to himself, and went to his own room. His thoughts preoccupied with the girl with the spark, he brushed his teeth and changed, climbing into bed fifteen minutes later. His normal routine of sneaking out on the roof to smoke or drink was forgotten, and he dreamt of a dancer, a young dance prodigy with ebony hair and chocolate eyes.

Austin woke up the next morning to shuffling downstairs, and he checked his phone. 11:30 AM. Austin rolled out of bed and ran a hand through his hair, and made his way downstairs. Maddie was already up, on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she no makeup on, and she was still pretty...well, pretty. Maddie looked up and smiled, Austin coming into her site. "Morning, sleepyheads."

Austin chuckled. "Morning to you too. When'd you get up?"

Maddie picked up a spoon from a drawer. "Like an hour ago." She walked over to a plate with sliced apples and yogurt. Austin came and slid next to her, stealing an apple slice. Maddie laughed and nudged him. "Get your own apples."

Austin chuckled, and grabbed his own breakfast, making a waffle and pouring some milk. He joined Maddie again, sitting next to her. Maddie was on her phone, checking Instagram. Austin peeked over, and Maddie glanced over at him, smiling. Austin grinned, "What do you want to do today?"

Maddie shrugged. "We are trapped here after all."

Austin nodded. "True. The beach is amazing though. Even just walking outside is amazing."

Maddie peered outside, and nodded. "Sounds good. I haven't been to the beach in forever."

"Yeah, me neither; there's been too much recording for my album."

"There's been too much dancing for my tour."

Austin's jaw dropped. "You have your own tour?" He was awed. She must be amazing.

Maddie nodded. "Well not just me. My dance company has a tour. I'm a part of a touring team."

"Ohh. Cool! I would die if I got a tour." Austin took a sip of his milk, seeing all of it in his head; sold out arenas all across the country, meeting all of his fans.

Maddie smiled at him. "You're music is great. You'll get your tour after you're album debuts."

"How do you know that?"

"I got my first tour offer after my first dance showcase at eight years old. I toured with people at least five years older than me with more experience for three months. If I can do it, you can."

There it was again. Austin's chest warmed. He'd never been around someone this positive, ever...and Austin liked pit. "Thanks, Maddie."

"No problem." Maddie finished her meal, and rinsed her dish and spoon in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher. "I'll go get dressed. Meet you outside?"

Austin nodded. "Sure."

Maddie smiled at him, and went upstairs. Austin heard her door shut, and he quickly finished the rest of his waffle and went to his room. He pulled out his iPad and looked up Maddie in YouTube, and watched the first video that came up. Wow. She was dancing to a cover version of Titanium, and had on a silver two piece costume, the bottom flowing behind her as she danced. She was as good as everyone said. Austin shook his head; she was flawless. He closed his iPad and went to get dressed. He just threw on a t-shirt and swim trunks, and ruffled his hair through, then went downstairs. Maddie was outside already, with a bikini on. She had a t-shirt on over her top, but only her bikini bottom. She was doing leaps and jumps on the sand, and Austin swore he'd never seen a more graceful human being. Austin walked out, slipping his phone into his pocket. Maddie saw him come out, and she pushed her hair out of her eyes. He smiled and walked over to her. "You're amazing."

Maddie laughed. "Thanks." She smiled, and Austin looked at her a little closer. She had on a little makeup now, but from all he could tell she only had on mascara and eyeliner.

Austin looked around, finding which direction the pier was in. "Let's go to the pier." He started in that direction, and Maddie followed him. He took out his phone, and turned the camera, pointing it at him. He angled it to where he could see Maddie behind him. She saw what he was doing, and ran a few strides to catch up to him. Austin smiled into the camera, Maddie following the cue. He Instagrammed the selfie, and tagged Maddie in it after asking what her username was. He was typing a caption while Maddie frolicked ahead, dancing around. He laughed, and took more pictures, Maddie posing for some of them. This went on as they walked towards the pier.

This whole time, wanting to drink or smoke didn't even occur to Austin. The pack of cigarettes in the bottom of his book bag were completely forgotten, and the bottle of alcohol sitting in the very back of the fridge didn't even find its way into Austin's head. He was having too much fun. Maddie and Austin sat out on the pier for nearly the whole day, tanning and sharing pictures. Maddie got up later in the afternoon, after the both of them not moving for a few hours. She got off the pier, and stepped into the water, letting it come up a little higher than her ankles. Austin followed her, stopping next to her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Maddie nodded "yeah. I've been to plenty of beaches but nothing like this. You're so lucky to live here."

Austin chuckled. "Be jealous."

Maddie rolled her eyes at him, and splashed a little bit of water on him. Austin laughed, splashing some onto her shirt. Maddie splashed him again, this time throwing more water at him. Austin laughed and went to splash her back, and Maddie ran away from him, following the shore line. Austin smiled and chased after her, grabbing her from behind. He spun her around, and pulled her against his wet t-shirt. Maddie tried pushing him away, and Austin laughed, knowing he had her caged in his arms

Maddie laughed. "Let go!"

Austin laughed, and released his arms, letting her go. At this point, it was 630 at night, and the sun was going down. They grabbed their phones and went inside, grabbing snack foods to eat for dinner. Maddie went upstairs to shower, and Austin went to do the same, both of them planning to watch a movie after they did so. Austin slid into his room, and he went to find his phone charger. He stuck his hand into his backpack, rummaging blindly for the charger. He groaned and turned it over, shaking all of its contents out onto the floor. His charger and headphones fell out in a tangled mass, and a third object fell out. Austin put his bag down, staring at the forgotten cigarette pack. The want to smoke washed over him instantly, and he went to check the hallway first. He stuck his head out, and heard the water running in Maddie's room. The coast was clear, and he shut his door silently. He went back to the cigarette pack, grabbing one joint. He searched for his lighter, which was in a pocket of his backpack. He found it, still half full. Austin looked back at the door for a moment, and then went to the window in his room, pulling it open.

Just like his apartment in New York, his room here also had a place to sit on the roof and he climbed out, sitting down on the ledge. The beach was to his right, and he watched the sunset as he stuck the cigarette in his mouth, lighting the other end. He put his lighter down, and took a breath in. He felt the breath circulate through his lungs, and he breathed back out, seeing the smoke leave his mouth. It felt good, and he started to wonder why he'd forgotten about any drugs for two days. Was it Maddie, or was he simply just having too much fun with her? He thought about this all as he took more hits.

Maddie got dressed after her shower, and blow dried her hair. She had a few clothes she wanted to wash, and went to Austin's door, knocking first. Austin didn't answer, and she didn't hear water running either. She wasn't sure if Austin was even in his room, so she opened the door. She was Austin sitting on the roof outside, and walked towards the window.

Austin heard the door open, and he jumped, choking on the breath of smoke he'd just taken in. He coughed it all out, and whipped his head in the direction of the window.

Maddie hadn't noticed his cigarette yet, and looked out at him. "Hey can you show me how to do the laun-" she stopped, seeing the cigarette in his hand.

Austin gulped. "Maddie, I can explain."


End file.
